Well, yes, because the story hasn't gotten to the point they need to be used.

>He's got spies - so do the good guys.

I gotta admit, I'm not seeing how both sides having spies makes him a joke.

>And look at who he sent to lay the ground at DSM - not
>impressive to me. He got Freyja to take him to the wedding - everyone
>knew and knows she has mental issues and so are watching her, so did
>that gain him anything?

He left a taint on the first wedding attempt, one that would have damaged the day for everyone. The fact that Earthforce being dicks interrupted it as well doesn't change that. And yeah, his primary goal wasn't something serious as part of his agenda, as far as we've seen. It was simple cruel spite, an attempt to try and make his former victims suffer for daring to be happy. And in the process, he took an emotionally broken woman, a victim of a horrible rape who never got the help she needed, and broke her further, ruining the relationship between her, her brother, and many of her friends. And he did it because it entertained him.

> One of his plots got shut down by people having sex, for gawds sake!

... Seriously? That's what you took as the solution at the end of the Symphony?

>To me, a villain has to do damage, the kind that isn't brushed off
>with a smirk and a smart remark, but must be dealt with after it
>happens, long-term if necessary (if it isn't permanent). Akio's had
>his chances.

And done pretty damn well with them. Besides coming close to victory in Cephiro and only being stopped at the last second through heroics and a lot of luck, he left the sort of scars that took years for Anthy and Utena to recover from. And he survived. He survived, built up his forces again, and was confident enough to reveal himself simply for the purpose of making his enemies suffer. The reason that didn't work wasn't because he's a joke or not a threat, it didn't work because he couldn't understand how Anthy had grown.

And then he followed it up by kidnapping, manipulating, and nearly murdering his daughter to use her as a weapon. In the process he took on a man with four centuries of combat experience, and (again), only lost because of something he didn't anticipate.

Just because his plans have been foiled before, doesn't make them any less dangerous. He hasn't come close to the point of 'Team Rocket's blasting off again'

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter